Kudos to the Cardinals for swiftly dismissing Scott Spiezio.

Owner Bill DeWitt, GM John Mozeliak and the organization made a strong statement about establishing standards for personal conduct.

Mozeliak, in particular, stood up in a strong way that reaffirmed that there’s a new GM in charge, and he won’t be weak.

Human beings make mistakes, and are entitled to second chances as long as they’re genuine about growing from the experience in a way that makes them a better person. Tony La Russa and his DUI in Florida last spring is an example of what I’m talking about. La Russa was ashamed by what he did, and I’d be absolutely shocked if TLR ever put himself in that irresponsible position again. He learned from his poor judgment.

But Spiezio was given many chances by the Cardinals. He was signed off the street when no one wanted him after the 2005 season. As we found out later, he was given an opportunity to get his act together early in the 2007 season, when rumors of his use of alcohol and substances began to surface. The team backed him again when he went into a rehab facility last season. They supported him again, and with a warm embrace, when he checked out of rehab and returned to the uniform. And they were behind Spiezio again by bringing him back for 2008.

At some point, he had to return that loyalty. He had to prove that he was trustworthy and reliable and honest and clean. And Spiezio failed miserably on all counts. For this knucklehead to essentially conceal the nature and magnitude of the wild spree that allegedly occured on the night of Dec. 30 in Irvine, Calif. was simply unacceptable, and unforgivable.

And this is especially true in the aftermath of Josh Hancock killing himself by driving drunk last April.

There was another reason to send Spiezio away: as I have written and said before, this team had a party culture in 2007. And it’s time for the Cardinals to declare last call and insist that their players act like professionals, and responsible citizens, and respect the game and the community in which they play.

This organization is putting a premium on developing young players. Some, like Brendan Ryan, made it to the majors last season. Another, top prospect Colby Rasmus, is close. More are on the way. The worst thing the Cardinals can do is have an out-of-control clubhouse culture to set a bad example for the newbies, who might get the idea that it’s OK to party all night, get little sleep, take risks and show up at the ballpark with red eyes and hazy minds and mysterious bumps on the head. There’s nothing wrong with having a good time, as long as it stays responsible (call a cab!), doesn’t spill out of bounds and doesn’t affect job performance.

 If the Cardinals allow the party culture to exist and thrive, some of these young, on-the-way Cardinals will lose themselves at the big-league level. Handling a major-league lifestyle isn’t easy for some, anyway. Having bad influences in the clubhouse can only make the transition, the graduation to the bigs, more challenging.  

Spiezio is gone, but I hope DeWitt, Mozeliak and La Russa continue to stay on top of the clubhouse culture and keep these higher standards in place.

Thanks for reading…

-B